Photosynthetic Efficiency of Plants as an Indicator of Tolerance to Petroleum-Contaminated Soils

Piotr Dąbrowski, Ilona Małuszyńska, Marcin J. Małuszyński, Bogumiła Pawluśkiewicz, Tomasz Gnatowski (), Aneta H. Baczewska-Dąbrowska and Hazem M. Kalaji
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Piotr Dąbrowski: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Ilona Małuszyńska: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Marcin J. Małuszyński: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Bogumiła Pawluśkiewicz: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Tomasz Gnatowski: Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta H. Baczewska-Dąbrowska: Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden-Center for Conservation of Biological Diversity, 02-973 Warsaw, Poland
Hazem M. Kalaji: Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: Significant efforts have been made to develop environmentally friendly remediation methods to restore petroleum-damaged ecosystems. One such approach is cultivating plant species that exhibit high resistance to contamination. This study aimed to assess the impact of petroleum-derived soil pollutants on the photosynthetic performance of selected plant species used in green infrastructure development. A pot experiment was conducted using both contaminated and uncontaminated soils to grow six plant species under controlled conditions. Biometric parameters and chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements were taken, followed by statistical analyses to compare plant responses under stress and control conditions. This study is the first to simultaneously analyze PF, DF, and MR 820 signals in plant species exposed to petroleum contamination stress. The results demonstrated that petroleum exposure reduced the activity of both PSII and PSI, likely due to increased nonradiative energy dissipation in PSII antenna chlorophylls, decreased antenna size, and/or damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Additionally, petroleum contamination affected the electron transport chain efficiency, limiting electron flow between PSII and PSI. The most resistant species to petroleum-induced stress were Lolium perenne , Poa pratensis , and Trifolium repens .

Keywords: photosynthesis; phytoremediation; soil contaminations; chlorophyll a fluorescence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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